Taste of France in Tunisia :)
Half a century ago, France "released" Tunisia to freedom, but French traditions are still alive today. The former French colony located in northern Africa will be a real shock for those who naively think that the Mediterranean resorts are all the same and are variations on the Turkish theme.
We rested at the end of July, I will say one thing was very hot. The hotel was chosen not expensive, because. we went only for a week and only lay on the beach for 3 days, and spent the rest of the time riding around the country.
A few words about the Fourati 3 * hotel. We went with "Oasis" from Kyiv. I came to the travel agency already with the chosen hotel, so there are no complaints and the organization was at the level. The hotel is located in one of the resorts of Tunisia in Hammamet. The staff at the hotel is good, the beach is clean, the sea is wonderful, the territory and location are good, close to the center. Walking in Hammathet, I saw the beaches of most hotels and they are across the road, unlike ours, and this is its huge plus - the beach on the territory of the hotel. The rooms are of course old and in need of repair, but the hotel is already years and years old. Yes, and if you make repairs in it, it will no longer be 3 If you compare it with Egyptian and Jordanian 3 * in which it stings, even if only a couple of days, I can say with confidence that the food in this hotel is much better, not chic but not bad. There is also a national-adopted one, there is a European one, there are few fruits and weaknesses. There is a small playground next to the building where it seems they are populated with children. There is animation. I won’t tell you much, because The hotel was not long and spent most of the time on the beach.
The most vivid impression of Tunisia is, of course, the Sahara. During this period it is very hot, the thermometer is at least +50, and therefore the organizers of the excursions make it so that during the hottest hours you travel in an air-conditioned bus or jeep, and you get into the desert itself only in the late afternoon. But you also spend this time with benefit, because. during the first stop, you see the third largest Roman amphitheater with 35 thousand seats in the city of El Jem, where gladiators and wild animals fought almost every day - bulls, tigers, leopards. It's one thing to see it in the famous film "Gladiator", it's quite another to feel the greatness of this building live! Further along the course - Mat-mata, the capital of the Berbers - a people who have inhabited northern Africa since time immemorial. They usually live in caves or burrows, for which they are called troglodytes ("people living in holes"). When the route finally reaches the largest oasis - the city of Douz, you understand that you have come close to the desert. On the horizon - kilometers of sand, devoid of any vegetation. The favorite entertainment of tourists in Duza is camel and horseback riding, jeep and quad bike rides, and hang-gliding. One by one, caravans of tourists leave for the desert. A leisurely ride on a one-humped camel, in a Bedouin robe, at sunset and to the singing of the driver will appeal to any romantic nature. If you prefer adrenaline - choose a hang glider, which is controlled by a pilot. Douz is one of the largest oases. Signs of an oasis: a source of water and three floors of vegetation - date palms, fruit trees, vegetables. Palm trees save from the heat, palm sap is collected like birch sap. Dates are harvested once a year, up to 50 kg of the sweetest fruits come out of a branch. Only men harvest dates. Here for the night we stayed in a hotel with houses that are located like a labyrinth. The rooms are good not killed by tourists. There was a pool and such-so food, or maybe we were just tired to eat something…
Even before dawn on the second day in the desert, we visited a salt lake without water and met the dawn there. It is very beautiful, especially against the background of cracked stains that, like bubbles, froze in place of the lake. Then it was even more exciting, but here the attributes of civilization - jeeps - intervened. The drivers, who gave us real races on hard and soft dunes, showed us the scenery left over from the filming of George Lucas' Star Wars.
As a souvenir from the Sahara, in all seriousness, they bring sand. It really does not look like river and sea - small, like flour. Another popular gift is the "desert rose". This stone flower of the Sahara was created by time and sand.
Another memorable full day excursion was a trip to Dugga. The temple, which is built on a hill at an altitude of 600 m, is an impressive architectural ensemble: the arch of Alexander Severus, the forum with the temple of Saturn, the sanctuary of Juno Celeste, the well-preserved portico of the Capitoline temple, the Punic mausoleum.
You will see the ancient amphitheater for 3500 spectators, erected in 166 AD. in honor of the god Jupiter (the so-called Capitol) and the "wind rose" area, where the compass was carved back in the 3rd century, occupying an entire area. Along the narrow streets you will pass to the preserved Roman baths, public latrines, ruins of brothels.
There are still a lot of places in Tunisia that I would like to visit, but alas, there was too little time for the trip, which means we will go again... .
